Two of Broadway’s biggest stars, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sutton Foster, will bring their incredible talents to downtown Aurora one-night-only, Friday, October 20, to perform live on Paramount Theatre’s historic stage.
An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell & Sutton Foster, a fundraising gala and concert for Paramount Theatre, promises a night of live entertainment with all of the glitz and glamour of a true Broadway-style show.
Brian Stokes Mitchell (left) and Sutton Foster
Brian Stokes Mitchell is a Tony Award-winning performer with a long list of Broadway credits to his name, famous for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. Mitchell also has a strong connection to Paramount Artistic Director, Jim Corti. In 1997, they performed together in the first Broadway production of Ragtime, and were on stage together again just last March at the 25th Anniversary Ragtime Reunion Concert.
Sutton Foster is a Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer, most recently seen on Broadway as Marian Paroo opposite Hugh Jackman in The Music Man. Her acclaimed performance earned her seventh Tony award nomination as well as the coveted 2022 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.
“Paramount Theatre has a long history of bringing world-class entertainment to its community, but megastars from Broadway like Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sutton Foster, together on our beautiful stage, on the same night? That’s a concert not to be missed,” said Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre, adding, “By attending this fundraising concert, our patrons will not only enjoy unforgettable live performances, but also support Paramount’s ongoing mission.”
Original cast members Jim Corti (left) and Brian Stokes Mitchell backstage at the Ragtime 25th anniversary reunion concert, March 27 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.
An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell & Sutton Foster starts with an exclusive pre-concert reception and sit-down dinner at 5 p.m. in Paramount’s Meyer Ballroom, in the North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. The concert begins at 8 p.m at Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd..
Tables of 10 are $5,000-$25,000, and include the pre-show gala, concert, premium or preferred seating. A limited number of individual tickets for the gala are available. Concert tickets are $55-$155.
For concert tickets and information, visit paramountaurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days.
To learn more about attending the gala, contact Sarah Tesch, saraht@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2479.
Proceeds from An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell & Sutton Foster will support programming at Paramount Theatre, a non-profit organization, the Paramount School of the Arts, and to help fund outreach programs both provide to the community to make live theater accessible to everyone.
Case in point: complimentary tickets to this event are being donated to local youth to bring new, young audiences in to witness Broadway-caliber talent performing live on their hometown stage.
For updates, visit paramountaurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook, Instagram and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.
An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell & Sutton Foster:
Meet the Stars
Dubbed “the last leading man” by The New York Times, two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras.
He received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in Kiss Me, Kate. He also gave Tony-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson’s King Hedley II, and Ragtime. Other notable Broadway shows include Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jelly’s Last Jam, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and Shuffle Along. In 2016, he was awarded his second Tony Award, the prestigious Isabelle Stevenson Tony for his charitable work with The Actors Fund. That same year Stokes was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
An extremely versatile and in-demand singer, Stokes has performed at venues spanning jazz, opera, pops, country, and musical theater worlds. He has worked with John Williams, Marvin Hamlisch, Gustavo Dudamel, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Big Band, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Muppets. Stokes has made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall beginning with his debut with the San Francisco Symphony through his televised performance in South Pacific opposite Reba McEntire to his sold-out solo concert, which he continues to perform throughout the U.S. He has been invited twice to perform at the White House (both times aired on PBS’s Great Performances) and has performed multiple times for Presidents Clinton and Obama.
Stokes has delved deeply into various music disciplines. In addition to singing he began piano studies at the age of 6. Starting in his teens, his musical curiosity led him to teach himself composing, arranging and orchestration. He later studied film scoring, orchestration, and conducting both privately and through UCLA and subsequently scored and conducted a number of Trapper John, MD episodes, a series on which he was also a regular cast member. His musical talent has extended to the present day as producer, arranger and orchestrator on his three solo albums including “Simply Broadway” and his latest recording”Plays With Music.” Stokes has appeared on more than 20 albums.
His screen credits began with a guest starring role on Roots:The Next Generations, followed by a 7-year stint on Trapper John, MD and have continued with memorable appearances on everything from PBS’ Great Performances to The Fresh Prince, Frasier, Glee, Jumping the Broom and his most recent recurring roles on Madam Secretary, Mr. Robot, The Path, Billions and The Good Fight. Other recent TV appearances include The Blacklist, Elementary, and Bull. As a voice-over artist he has played dozens of characters on animated TV episodes including performing “Through Heaven’s Eyes” in Dreamwork’s The Prince of Egypt. As a writer Stokes has contributed to the book “Hirschfeld’s Harlem,” wrote the preface to “At This Theatre,” and co-authored the children’s book “Lights on Broadway.”
For fun he has been known to fly planes and jump out of them (usually not at the same time), and he can ride a bicycle on a high wire. Stokes has enjoyed working with numerous charitable organizations from the March of Dimes to the USO. He is on the board of Americans For the Arts and is serving his 16th term as Chairman of the Board of the Entertainment Community Fun (formerly The Actors Fund). See more credits and information at IMDB, Broadway Database, BroadwayWorld and Wikipedia.
Sutton Foster is a Tony Award-winning actress, singer, and dancer who was most recently seen on the Broadway stage starring in an acclaimed turn as Marian Paroo in the Broadway revival of The Music Man, opposite Hugh Jackman at The Winter Garden Theatre. Her performance earned her her seventh Tony award nomination as well as the coveted 2022 Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.
Foster recently released her memoir “Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life.” The page turner is comprised of funny and intimate stories and reflections about how crafting helped her navigate the highs and lows of family, love, and show business.
In summer 2021, Foster reprised one of her most notable roles as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes at London’s Barbican Theatre, earning her an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. Her original performance in Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre earned her a 2011 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
On television, Sutton led the critically acclaimed TV Land series, Younger. Created by Sex in the City's Darren Star and styled by the iconic Pat Field, the seventh and final season premiered in April 2021, making it the longest running original series in TV Land history.
The two-time Tony-winning actress starred as The Baker’s Wife in the Hollywood Bowl’s sold-out summer 2019 production of Into the Woods. Previously, she appeared in the title role of the New Group’s 50th anniversary revival of Sweet Charity and in Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley’s Tony-nominated Broadway revival, Violet. Foster also appeared as Queenie in New York City Center Encores! Off-Center’s production of The Wild Party in July 2015.
Under the direction of Michael Mayer, Sutton starred as Millie Dillmount in the 2002 Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Originating the role, she established herself as one of the greatest talents in the industry and earned her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Foster has originated other numerous notable roles, including Princess Fiona in Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Shrek The Musical at The Broadway Theatre, as well as Inga in Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan’s parody of the horror film genre, Young Frankenstein, at Foxwoods Theatre.
Her performance as Janet Van De Graaff in Casey Nicholaw’s The Drowsy Chaperone at the Marquis Theatre in 2006 earned her Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Ovation Award nominations. Among her other theater credits include: Les Miserables, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie and Grease. In addition, Foster made her Off-Broadway debut as Prudence in Paul Weitz's comedy, Trust which showed at Second Stage Theatre.
Previously on television, Foster starred as Michelle Simms in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s ABC Family series, Bunheads. She also reunited with Sherman-Palladino for a guest role in the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Foster’s additional on-screen credits include ABC’s A Million Little Things, the CBS drama Instinct, HBO’s comedy series Flight of the Conchords, USA Network’s Royal Pains, Law & Order: SUV, Elementary and guest appearances on Disney’s Johnny and the Sprites, and PBS’s Sesame Street.
As a solo artist, Foster has toured the country with her hit solo concert which featured songs from her debut solo CD “Wish” as well as her follow up CD, “An Evening with Sutton Foster: Live at the Cafe Carlyle.” She has also graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Feinstein's, Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series and many others. Sutton released her third solo album, “Take Me to the World,” through Ghostlight Deluxe, June 1, 2018.
Foster holds an honorary doctorate from Ball State University, where she also teaches.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
After launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre has rapidly grown to be the largest subscription house in the U.S. In 2022-23, more than 36,000 subscribers enjoyed Paramount’s critically acclaimed, Broadway-caliber productions, along with an array of internationally known comedians, musicians, dance troupes and family shows.
For over 50 years, the Joseph Jefferson Awards has recognized excellence in Chicago area theater. Last season, Paramount took home six Jeff Awards for Kinky Boots, including Best Musical-Large, Paramount’s fourth win in that category following Sweeney Todd (2017), West Side Story (2016) and Les Misérables (2015). Over the last 11 years, Paramount has been honored to earn 97 Jeff nominations and 27 wins.
Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA). Paramount’s new “sister stage” is the newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s BOLD Series, across the street at North Island Center. ACCA also oversees RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in 2024, and the Paramount School of the Arts.
Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Tim Rater, President and CEO, Aurora Civic Center Authority; Jim Corti, Artistic Director, Paramount Theatre; a dedicated Board of Trustees and a devoted staff of live theater and music professionals.
For the latest updates, visit paramountaurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, @paramountarts on Tik Tok, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.